Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Telepractice Methodology in a Medical Class

Abstract

The health crisis due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus has affected the practices of future doctors, and social distancing significantly affected the training capacity of clinical fields. This makes it necessary to think of new forms of clinical practice combining technology and educational strategies. This is a randomized quasi-experimental study with a mixed methodology where a telepractice intervention was carried out, implemented, and evaluated. Telepractice is a practical activity using digital media, where a teacher with a student, transmits their attention through cameras or devices to another group of students who are in another physical location. The study was carried out on fourth-year Medicine students. There were no statistically significant differences when comparing the achievement of learning objectives between the group in telepractice and the control group (traditional practice). Although there is, in general, good satisfaction with the methodology, there are some aspects to improve, such as technical considerations of transmission audio and video. This study is the first of its kind in Chile to be carried out by implementing a telepractice methodology, comparing it to the traditionally known clinical tutorial teaching methodology, for the acquisition of clinical skills in undergraduate medical students.